Alex carefully shortened her stride to match Razz's smaller frame, and they made their way out of the throne room. Sunlight glinted off the metal armor of a Chameleon guard who waved them over to a waiting carriage. She nodded reassuringly to the guard as he helped Razz into the carriage.
Razz huddled close to her in the plush interior, trembling, and Alex tried not to think about what horrors he had been through. Gently, she ran her fingertips along his neck and felt the links of a metallic collar embedded with scabs and pus. At the touch, Razz whimpered, but Alex sent soothing energy through her fingertips until he was comforted.
Once at the Institute, two Chameleon guards escorted Alex into the lobby, their scaled tails dragging behind them. She saw Hilto across the room and waved. The Chameleon brightened to a surprised orange hue and hurried over to them.
"My friend here needs a healer," Alex said, gesturing towards Razz's small, battered body. "And the collar needs to be cut off."
Hilto scratched two notes onto a worn piece of parchment with a quill pen. He paused, looking thoughtful, before adding "A healer and a metal-worker. Do you wish the metal-worker to bring a different type of metal for a new collar?"
Alex flung up her hands, her eyes blazing. "What? No! No more collars!"
Razz jerked at the sudden movement and whimpered in fear.
"Aw, Razz, I'm so sorry to scare you." Alex's expression softened, and her eyes grew warm with compassion. See held out his hands palm up, and after a moment of hesitation, Razz placed his hands in hers. Alex's touch was gentle, but firm as she enveloped his hands in her warmth. His gaze searched her face before Alex spoke to in a soft voice: "Please send food appropriate for an injured Anolis male."
Hilto's color flowed into a warm green. "Excellent, Guardian. I will send the notes to both with utmost urgency and bring the food myself."
He scribbled a third note as Alex walked to her rooms. It read: Zilik, the Guardian has freed an Anolis male and will not re-collar him.
Alex, Razz, and the two Chameleon guards walked down the hallway with its marble statues to the giant, engraved wooden doors of Alex's quarters. One guard entered, checked the rooms, then motioned for the rest to come in.
"You must be important to have guards," Razz said. "Or dangerous. Or both." He briefly glanced at the two guards who took position at the outside of the door as he entered with Alex.
"Not important and I wish I were more dangerous. Razz, what do I do with you now?"
Before he could answer, the door opened again and Rile, Gabe, and Cale spilled into the room, talking excitedly. That all stopped when they saw Razz.
"Who's this?" Rile asked, eye ridges raised in surprise.
"I am Alex's new mate," Razz said with pride and Alex's eyes widened.
I want to sink into the ground.
"Explain at once," Gabe demanded.
"This should be good." Rile leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Oh, Alex, what have you done?" Cale started clacking his claws nervously.
"It's not like that," Alex protested.
"Mistress, please! Do not send me back!" Razz grabbed her hand and kissed it repeatedly.
"Mistress?" Gabe shouted.
"Razz, I'm not your mistress. Please stop doing that," Alex half-ordered, half-begged.
Razz fell to his knees, still clutching her hand. "Please, do not reject me. Do not send me back. I cannot go back to Cla. I would rather die."
"Oh, Razz." Alex hated turning away from Gabe, but she had to deal with the hysterical male.
She knelt beside Razz and hugged him, which allowed him to cling to her, trembling. "I will die before I let Cla touch you again." He calmed at that and she sighed. "That's not as impressive as it sounds. I've never won a fight with Cla, physical or otherwise."
Especially the otherwise.
"Cla? You stole Cla's boyfriend? Way to go, Alex," Rile said with admiration.
Zilik walked in the open door. He took in the entire scene, his color turning a bright green in surprise. "What's going on?"
Alex saw him and groaned. A pain built between her eyes, so she stood up, stretched, and said, "Long story."
"We have plenty of time." Gabe spoke, pure ice. He stalked over to the couch and sat down on one end, body rigid.
Rile stayed leaning against the wall. Zilik sat at the table and picked up a piece of fruit, tossing it hand to hand. Cale sat on the far end of the couch and looked at everyone.
Alex eased onto the couch near Cale, but Razz continued to kneel. Alex tugged on his arm, an obvious signal that he should get up, but he seemed oblivious to it.
"I don't know where to start," Alex said, stalling while she tugged more on Razz to join her on the couch.
"At the beginning," Gabe said, eyes and voice hard.
Alex shuddered at Gabe's tone and Razz stroked her leg.
You ran off with this female Anolis and left me stuck in the Institute...
"Please, if I may. Are you Gabe?" Razz turned slightly to address him, but stayed kneeling.
Gabe nodded, looking too angry to speak further.
"Please, if you are Alex's first mate, then all privileges are yours. I am no threat to you," Razz said.
Gabe's color flushed darker gold and clenched his hands into fists.
"Razz, you're not helping me," Alex said in that half-begging tone again.
Razz looked up at her and seemed to draw courage from that. "Cla wished to humiliate Alex in front of the Kuni. She also wishes you, Gabe. This was her plan to obtain both."
"Are you saying that Alex traded me for you?" Gabe asked, posture stiff.
"No," Alex said immediately.
Not exactly, since you already threw me over for Cla...
Razz continued, "Cla chose me, the least of all her mates, for her plan. She brought Alex in front of the Kuni and demanded that Alex prove that she could be your mate."
There was a moment of stunned silence. Zilik stopped tossing the fruit and Cale stopped clacking his claws.
"Oh, Alex," Cale said, voice and face full of sympathy. "I'm so sorry."
"What did you do?" Rile asked with interest. He strolled over to the couch and plopped down next to Cale.
Gabe's expression was stony, back still ramrod straight, hands still fisted.
"If Alex refused, Cla would have killed me. Cla suspected that Alex would have too soft a belly to allow that." Razz looked at her with utter adoration shining in his eyes.
"Soooo, what did you do?" Rile leaned forward and Cale shoved him.
Rile shoved Cale back. Gabe didn't twitch a muscle.
"Alex was forced to admit that she was unable to mate with our kind. That invalidates any claim she has to Gabe, which is what Cla wanted," Razz said.
"How did she end up with you?" Rile asked.
Trust Rile to ask the question that I hoped no one would ask.
"Cla had to offer me to force the issue." Razz looked up at Alex and this time smiled shyly.
"You said that Alex couldn't have a legitimate claim since she couldn't—"
"Rile!" Alex ran her fingers through her hair, embarrassment and exasperation warring with each other.
"It was not mating. It was much better," Razz said with conviction and his smile broadened. "The Kuni said that Alex could keep me since I was the initial offering."
"Alex!" Gabe sounded horrified.
"Really?" Rile asked, grinning, interest sparking in his eyes and posture.
"She even marked me." Razz proudly displayed the bloody wound.
"Razz, not helping again." Alex's voice rose in desperation.
"An 'A'?" Gabe asked, outraged, but Rile laughed.
"Alex, you are positively bloodthirsty," Rile said in delight. "What a great Guardian you are. I mean it."
Razz frowned and examined the wound more closely. "This is not very deep. If it does not scar, you must re-open it."
"Razz, really, really not helping." Alex felt heat flush up her face. "I have no intention of hurting you again and I will make those miserable females pay for your blood on my hands."
Razz's returned his gaze to her, wonder at her words warring with the obvious adoration.
"Alex, where will your new mate sleep?" Rile asked yet another question that Alex wished had been left unasked.
"Rile, please." Alex felt more trapped than when she had been in the Kuni's room.
"It's a valid question," Gabe said, clearly enunciating each word in fury.
"Gabe, not you, too. I didn't ask for this." Alex held up pleading hands.
"I understand." Razz nodded in a knowing way. "Alex is a remarkable mate, strong yet kind, and with utterly wonderful powers. You do not wish to share. I promise that I will be most unobtrusive. I will stay out of your way. I will demand nothing. I will be content with whatever time Alex can spare."
"I have lots of that," Alex said and Gabe looked away.
"You can emancipate Razz," Zilik said from his forgotten position and they all looked over at him.
"Emancipate?" Alex asked.
"Yes, he'll be free. No female, including Cla, will be able to claim him." Zilik resumed tossing the cactus fruit from hand to hand.
"Free, but not safe." Razz gripped Alex's leg. "Cla is vindictive. She will find me, torture me, and kill me."
"Razz, I'm not the safest person to be around. Cla is coming after me, too." Alex squeezed his shoulder and he gazed up at her again with adoration.
"No, she won't." Gabe stood up. "We're going to her. Rile, Cale, with me."
Cale stood up immediately, but Rile regarded Gabe a moment, then, with a shrug, stood up straight.
"Gabe." Alex tried to walk to him, but Razz still had her leg in a death grip.
"Alex, you don't understand." Gabe turned away.
Razz looked between Alex's and Gabe's faces and his eyes narrowed. "I do." Razz released Alex and stood up. "It is not worth it."
"What's not worth it?" Gabe turned around, expression hard.
Razz still looked terrified, and he trembled slightly, but he held his ground. "Children, of course. Why else would you choose Cla over Alex? She was forced to admit in front of the Kuni that she is not physically compatible with us. But I tell you again, it is not worth it. Especially with Alex's abilities. I have only produced males so far and Cla has cleansed them all. Our last clutch is only two eggs. Even if they are females, she will not let me keep them for long. Once they can walk, they will begin military training."
"This isn't about children. We're leaving." Gabe turned away again. "Cale, Rile, I said: with me."
Cale hugged Alex and whispered in her ear, "My brother is losing his way. Please stay safe." He released her and said, "Pray for us." He walked out with a final backward glance at Alex.
Rile hugged Alex next, only tighter and longer. He whispered, "Be here for me when I return." He shoved her away and said, "Don't do anything stupid."
"You are making a mistake." Razz shook his head at Gabe. "You are underestimating Cla."
"You're underestimating me. It is a common trait around here." Gabe stalked out.
Rile's face was unreadable as he followed his brother.
"Zilik, what am I going to do?" Alex came close to wailing.
"I don't know. But I'm curious to find out." Zilik walked over to them. "Razz, why did you do that?"
"Do what?" Razz backed away from Zilik.
Alex took Razz's hand and guided him behind her. "Do you have a problem with Razz?" Her eyes took in Zilik's length. She released Razz, balanced on the balls of her feet, and lightly shook her hands.
"Quite the opposite. Please don't attack me, Alex. Razz had nothing to gain and much to lose with that speech. Don't you see that? I'm curious as to why he did it." Zilik tilted his head like a puppy begging for a treat, which Alex found adorable.
She turned to Razz. "He's right. Why did you help me at risk to yourself? Don't risk yourself again. Ever. That's an order. I do the saving around here."
Razz knelt at her feet and Alex groaned. She knelt beside him.
"You rescued me from a living pit of hell. I wished to help you keep something that you wanted. I do not think that I did anything remarkable," Razz said.
Alex rubbed his back. "It was and I appreciated it. I need your help, Zilik. I can't keep Razz here and I can't set him adrift either. Cla would track him down."
"I can arrange safe passage for Razz to Chameleon City, but it'll take time. He'll have to stay here until then," Zilik said.
Alex and Razz both nodded.
"Don't get your hopes up, Razz," Zilik said on his way out of the door. "Alex comes from a monogamous species."
Alex threw a couch pillow at Zilik. He laughed and avoided it, but before he could close the door, Hilto entered with a tray of wine, cheese, and bread.
"Enjoy," Zilik called out as he left, and Hilto arranged the food and wine on the table.
"Razz, you and I will have a nice long talk," Alex said. "While you eat and drink. You're far too thin."
*****
A/N
Who likes Razz?
Will he beat out the brothers in Alex's affections?
Dedicated to
Thanks for the reads and votes!
Rewrite dedicated to charlottemallory
Who spent a generous amount of time commenting on my little book!